Landholders to receive $10,000 for railway uncertainty

The Queensland State Government is going to pay up to $10,000 to landholders affected by a stalled railway project through southern and central Queensland.

In 2006 a consortium known as the Surat Basin Rail Joint Venture was given an exclusive mandate to build a 214-kilometre rail line between Wandoan and Banana.

The purpose of the rail line, sometimes known as 'the missing link', was to transport coal from Wandoan to the Port of Gladstone.

In November 2012 the Surat Basin Rail Joint Venture told the government the project would be delayed and as a result the acquisition program for the rail corridor was discontinued and the mandate ended.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney says the payments are being made in recognition of the uncertainty some landholders have faced for seven years as a result

"It did place a lot of uncertainty and stress on landholders so as part of negotiating the end to the exclusive mandate we have negotiated the payment for landholders."

"It is a small contribution to the cost that's been imposed in terms of time and disturbance and upset over those six or seven years."

The rail corridor will however remain a declared State Development Area which the Deputy Premier says will give landholders certainty because they know where future developments could take place.

However Roma lawyer Tom Marland says while ever the State Development Declaration is still in place landholders will remain in limbo.

"I don't think it's an accurate reflection of the disturbance many landholders have had over the past six years, the many hours and meetings and cost of engaging lawyers."

"The fact that the State Development Declaration remains doesn't really remove the uncertainty."